ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien Jahr/Year: 2015 Band/Volume: 117B Autor(en)/Author(s): Dworschak Peter C. Artikel/Article: Methods collecting Axiidea and Gebiidea (Decapoda): a review 5-21 Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien, B 117 5–21 Wien, Jänner 2015 Methods collecting Axiidea and Gebiidea (Decapoda): a review P.C. Dworschak* Abstract Axiidea and Gebiidae (formerly treated together as Thalassinidea) have a crypic lifestyle. Collecting these shrimp therefore requires special field methods. The present paper reviews these methods according to habitats and provides recommendations as well as data on their efficiency. In addition, information on the preservation of these animals is presented. Key words: Thalassinidea, Axiidea, Gebiidea, method, collecting, preservation Zusammenfassung Maulwurfskrebse aus den zwei Unterordungen der zehnfüßigen Krebes Axiidea und Gebiidea (früher zusammengefaßt als Thalassinidea) kommen in temperaten, subtropischen und tropischen Meeren vor und zeichnen sich durch ein Leben im Verborgenen aus. Viele Arten legen tiefe und ausgedehnte Bauten an. Diese Lebensweise erfordert eigene Methoden, um die Krebse zu fangen. Die verschiedenen Fangmethoden werden hier vorgestellt und Angaben zur Effizienz gemacht. Zusätzlich werden Angaben zur Fixierung und Konservierung der Krebse präsentiert. Introduction Formerly treated together as the thalassinideans, the infraorders Gebiidea DE SAINT LAURENT, 1979 and Axiidea DE SAINT LAURENT, 1979 represent two distinctly separate groups of decapods (ROBLES et al. 2009; BRACKEN et al. 2009; DWORSCHAK et al. 2012, POORE et al., 2014). They are commonly called mud shrimp or ghost shrimp, although they are only distantly related to true (dendrobranchiate or caridean) shrimp. The Axiidea contains 9 families with 423 species distributed among 83 genera and the Gebiidae contain 4 families with 192 species in 20 genera (DE GRAVE et al. 2009), By April 2014, these numbers had increased to about 465 and 209 species, 128 and 20 genera and 14 and 4 families, respectively. The habitus of thalassinideans ranges from lobster-like with a well calcified exoskeleton (Thalassinidae, Axiidae) to weakly calcified elongated forms (Callianassidae) that show strong adaptations to a burrowing lifestyle (Fig. 1). The size of adult shrimp ranges from about 1.5 cm (Thomassiniidae, many Callianassidae) to over 35 cm (Thalassinidae). Thalassinideans have a cryptic lifestyle. Most species burrow in various types of sediments, from coarse coral rubble to sand and mud, and even in firmer ground. Probable understudied habitats of thalassinideans include coral reefs, where many axiid shrimp live in cryptic environments. A few species of Upogebiidae and members of the family Eiconaxiidae are sponge commensals, whereas members of the upogebiid genus Pomatogebia bore in corals. * Peter C. Dworschak, Dritte Zoologische Abteilung, Naturhistorisches Museum, Burgring 7, 1010 Wien, Austria. – [email protected] 6 Annalen des Naturhistorischen Museums in Wien, B, 117 All species of Thalassinidea live in marine habitats or in seawater-influenced habitats, such as reduced salinity estuaries (e.g. many Upogebiidae and Callianassidae). Members of the genus Lepidophthalmus are especially dominant in low-salinity habitats (MANNING & FELDER 1991), and mass migrations into rivers have been reported in Cameroon for L. turnerana (WHITE, 1861)(see VANHÖFFEN 1911). Thalassinidea occur from the intertidal to water depths of more than 2000 m, but most species (95 %) live in shallow water, less than 200 m deep. They occur worldwide between 71°N and 55°S and have not been found in polar regions. Their distribution shows a clear latitudinal gradient with low species numbers in high latitudes and high species numbers in low latitudes. Highest species numbers (36.5 %) occur in the Indo- West Pacific followed by the Southwest Atlantic (21.6 %), with two-thirds of those occurring in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico (DWORSCHAK 2000, 2005). Collecting Intertidal In temperate, intertidal regions, thalassinideans often occur in high population densities and are used as fishing bait or even for human consumption. Therefore, recreational as well as commercial fishermen have developed different collecting methods. This may be as simple as digging the animals up by hand [Thalassina anomala (HERBST, 1804) in mangrove mud, see PILLAI 1985]. Some species, such as Nihonotrypaea petalura (STIMPSON, 1860), Neotrypaea biffari (HOLTHUIS, 1991) and Pestarella whitei (SAKAI, 1999), occur on boulder beaches. Here, the shrimp have to be dug up from the sand between the boulders by hand. TAMAKI et al. (1999) reported a catch per unit effort (CPUE) between 1 specimen in 150 min and 50 specimens in 90 min for such shores. Digging may be facilitated by using a garden fork or spade. In firm sediment, a spade is pushed into the sediment near the water’s edge and rocked back and forth. This creates an alternating water flow with the animals swept out of their burrows and collected by hand or with a small net (as in the burrows of Upogebia pusilla; see DWORSCHAK, 1988). In soft sediment, simply wading through the mud can bring animals to the surface. Wading and trampling is also used with the Kiwi method, which involves jumping on the mud until it liquefies, causing animals to float to the surface where they can be picked up by hand (TORRES et al. 1977). This method has also been described as the Callianassa Stomp by GARCIA et al. (2003). It consists of 8-10 researchers marching in a 5 m diameter circle on a section of mud flat. As the mud liquefies, the circle is closed, and mud shrimp can be collected by hand when they swim to the surface. This method has been compared with coring in collecting Neotrypaea uncinata (A. MILNE-EDWARDS, 1870) and was found to be less effective. Liquefying the sediment is also the underlying principle of a method described as puddling by LEFLEUR (1940) for collecting Callichirus major (SAY, 1818). Instead of digging beyond the tide wash as in the other method, an area is selected, well marked by holes, approximately three inches below the surface of the water. Once a spadeful of sand is taken out, it is then a simple matter of stirring the sand in the hole by a vigorous digging motion. This movement loosens the sand until it is of the consistency DWORSCHAK: Methods collecting Axiidea and Gebiidea (Decapoda): a review 7 of quicksand to a depth of almost four feet. Any specimens disturbed, either by the great amount of sand stirred up or by the destruction of its burrow, swim to the surface where they can be easily captured. A more efficient method is liquefaction of the deeper sediment layers with the aid of a hydraulic pump or water jet (Fig. 4). This device consists of a gasoline-powered water pump on a float. Water is sucked up at the intake and then forced through a fire hose connected to a long (up-to-3 m) nozzle that is inserted deep into the sediment (HAILSTONE 1962, BYBEE 1969). Shrimp are washed to the surface and can be picked up by hand or with a net. This method is especially suitable when specimens are needed for physiological experiments as it is considered very productive and least injurious to animals (FELDER 1978). It has also been used in some studies of deep burrowing thalassinidean species (FELDER & LOVETT 1989, FELDER & GRIFFIS 1994, KINOSHITA et al. 2003). In South Africa, Upogebia africana (ORTMANN, 1894) is commonly collected with a tin can (75 mm diameter) or a prawn pusher (150–200 mm diameter) (HODGSON et al. 2001). Similarly, U. pusilla in France is collected locally with a casserole (CHAUD 1984). These devices consist of an open cylinder whose bottom usually is attached to the lower end of a spade handle. The open end is placed over the burrow openings of the mud shrimp and pushed downwards; compressed air is thus forced into the burrows, pushing the animals out of corresponding burrow openings. HODGSON et al. (2001) reported that such devices are more efficient (prawn pusher: CPUE 0.1 to 1; tin can: CPUE 0.1 to 0.3) than a yabby pump (below) (CPUE 0.08 to 0.12) when collecting U. africana. The most universal tool for collecting thalassinideans is the yabby pump. This device was introduced by bait collectors and mentioned for the first time in a scientific paper by HAILSTONE (1962). HAILSTONE & STEPHENSON (1966) described two models, the first of which is actually a modified coring device. The second, now the most commonly used model, consists of a tube (3–5 cm diameter, 50–100 cm long), a plunger with a handle on the upper end, and a washer that can be adjusted with a thumb screw on the lower end (Figs 2, 3). Several commercial models made of stainless steel are available in hardware or angler shops locally in Australia, USA, UK, and South Africa or can be purchased online. Early self-made pump models of the same design constructed from brass using leather as washers were described by DEVINE (1963) and RODRIGUES (1966). In Brazil, yabby pumps made of household PVC tubing are sold in angler shops (S. Rodrigues. pers. comm. 1987). Self-designed pumps made of 4–5 cm diameter PVC sewage tubes are frequently used. MANNING (1975) described a very simple improvised model consisting of an acrylic coring tube and a cork (or better rubber) stopper attached to a broomstick. This simple model, modified with an aluminum rod and a handle, has been used successfully to collect Pestarella tyrrhena (PETAGNA, 1792) and P. candida (OLIVI, 1792) (see DWORSCHAK 1998). Efficiency was high, but its operation in only one direction (pull) with the need of frontloading for the next pull made collecting cumbersome. For collecting small species and/or those occurring in high densities, one pull usually yields one or more shrimp.